China is planning its first ever space walk as part of its next manned mission later this month. This will be just the third manned mission the country has flown since becoming a space race player with its first in 2003.

“All the major systems involved in the launching are now in final preparations,” says a spokesman from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (Xinhua). “The main tests for the spacecraft, the Long March II-F rocket, suits for the space walk and a satellite accompanying the flight have been finished.”

Exactly how much later this month the Shenzhou VII rocket will blast off is unclear. State media put it between the 25th and 30th. However other newspapers in the region say it could be as early as the 17th, the closing day of Paralympics.

Space Daily has a detailed analysis of the launch dates and what fire might be underneath all the smoke:

The abrupt announcement of a change in launch date, with the new launch slated for just weeks after the announcement, is suspicious. It smacks of sudden interference in a carefully planned schedule. …

The muddled stories could reveal a potential conflict between China’s politburo and its rocket scientists. Chinese government officials may have demanded a last-minute change in the Shenzhou 7 launch date, buoyed by the attention the Olympics generated, and knowing the propaganda value of the flight. But they may not have understood the complex logistics required for a space launch.